Dec. 6, 2003

MANHATTAN, KS-For 30 minutes, The University of Texas-Pan American's women's basketball team battled Sacramento State on even terms in the third-place game of the Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic at Kansas State's Bramlage Coliseum Saturday afternoon.

Then the Lady Broncs went on a decisive 10-0 run, and defeated the Hornets, 60-50, to claim third place at the tournament.

Texas-Pan American built a 27-21 halftime lead, then grabbed an eight-point advantage in the second half before Sac State came back. The Hornets outscored the Lady Broncs, 20-10, to take a 41-39 lead with 8:43 remaining.

UTPA then turned the tide. Senior forward Mary DeCock (Lamberton, MN/Red Rock Central HS/Northeast CC) connected on a three-pointer that gave the Lady Broncs the lead for good, 42-41, with 8:03 remaining. Junior center Molly Schamel (Hector, NY/Watkins Glen HS/Yavapai College) drew a foul and converted two free throws, then made consecutive layups to put Texas-Pan American ahead by seven points. Senior guard Amanda Carlow (Pine Ridge, SD/Rapid City CHS/Northeast CC) then converted a free throw to cap the 10-0 run.

The Lady Broncs built their lead to 11 points, 54-43, with 1:04 remaining. Junior guard Ashley Roberts (Hernando, MS/Hernando HS/Butler County CC), junior guard Jennifer Piwonka (Louise, TX/Louise HS) and Carlow each made a pair of free throws in the final 49 seconds to help Texas-Pan American preserve its lead.

Sacramento State had an 11-10 lead with 8:28 remaining in the first half, but the Lady Broncs used a 13-3 run during a three-minute span to build a 23-14 advantage with 5:10 to play in the first half before taking a six-point lead into the halftime break.

"We were much sharper today," said UTPA Head Coach DeAnn Craft. "We did a good job of limiting them in terms of second chance points, and we did a better job hitting our free throws when we needed to make them. We hadn't been in a game in which we had to keep hitting free throws to stay ahead, and this is another part of the learning curve for us. We were patient enough to get the ball inside to Molly, and she did a great job finishing some shots. In the second half, Amanda really steadied us, and Mary DeCock played very well defensively in the second half. Sac State was extremely aggressive, and I thought that it was a good sign that we held them off."

Schamel led the Lady Broncs with 20 points and seven rebounds, and was Texas-Pan American's lone representative on the All-Tournament Team. Roberts added 11 points, and Carlow had seven assists. Texas-Pan American made 14 of 17 free throw attempts, and out rebounded Sacramento State, 39-36. Sarah Craig led the Hornets with 19 points, and Katelyn Ciampi added 10.

The Lady Broncs improved to 5-1 with the victory, while Sacramento State fell to 0-7. Texas-Pan American will take several days off for final exams, and return to action when they host Oral Roberts Sunday evening, December 14th.